Borrowed Time
by kitkat2150
Summary: "...You've always kind of been on borrowed time ever since you were 10 years old" Her breathe slow yet shallow as she listened to her grandfather continue on about her dilemma. "You've just been avoiding the inevitable" Maybe...She had always wondered if she would ever transform into her natural being. She had never put too much thought into the idea of being...well an Antodyte
1. Chapter 1

Prologue.

Thought i'd start up a new Gwen turns into an Antodyte story. Hurt and comfort.

Please review.

* * *

Gwen loses her humanity and Ben comforts her.

"...You've always kind of been on borrowed time ever since you were 10 years old"

Her breathe slow yet shallow as she listened to her grandfather continue on about her dilemma.

"You've just been avoiding the inevitable"

 _Maybe..._ She had always wondered if she would ever transform into her natural being. She had never put too much thought into the idea of being...well anything but human. In fact, she considered herself human in a sense. I mean: if it walks and talks like one...shouldn't it be one. But no, her grandfather now sat before her in the small, broken down RV telling her that it was over. She felt like her heart had skipped a few beats when he had decided to sit her down, two mugs between them; one long-black coffee, the other: herbal tea.

Gosh, she felt like an idiot right now. That, and like someone had just walked up to her and punched her in the mouth. She was gobsmacked, unable to move, unable to think, unable to process anything right now.

 _'Am I in shock?'_ She thought to herself, gently avoiding eye contact and taking a sip of her tea trying to cut the tension in the room to the point it wasn't strangling her.

"It was bound to happen eventually..."

 _Oh god, how did she end up in this position? She thought everything was going so well before a couple of days ago when she was doing a combative training exercise with her cousin, her boyfriend and some of the plumber kids. A routine sparring match between herself vs Cooper and Helen. She had the upper hand for most of the fight, until the last few seconds when they finally decided to work together. She always had trouble with technology, it was one thing she couldn't get her powers around._

 _Somewhere between the electricity induced cyclone and smashing the back of her head on the ground as she fell, she had a fit. She blackened out for most of it but when she awoken a few seconds after the whole experience was over she found her grandfather and everyone else surrounding her, staring down at her body. She remembered feeling vulnerable at that moment. Everybody staring at her in awe and worry. Maybe even some shocked faces around, surprised that she had not put up more of a fight. She remembered her grandfather placing his knees either side of her ears, stabilising her neck and letting her rest on him as he soothed her pain, brushing the locks out of her face and telling her to stay awake until help came. She didn't remember what happened but supposibly she had had a seizure._

 _A seisure?_

 _She couldn't believe it. Her grandfather had called an ambulance to collect her. For the next few days she would be checked by doctors scanning her brain and finding nothing to report. Literally nothing. The doctors were amazed. They were pretty surprised when her grandpa had come in and taken her away, telling her that they would have to talk later and she would have to sit out for the rest of the training exercise. She put up a fight but her grandfather always one the argument. She felt pretty useless, just watching and keeping score and her granddad keeping an eye on her at all times. She remembered watching her cousin and boyfriend sparring each other. Watching as her own cousin cheered for himself as he thrashed the older boy with one swing. It took the redhead by surprise and in that moment. That very second she wanted to be out there again, fighting beside her cousin. It would be great. Them a team again and-_

 _Her train of thought was lost when she felt a hand come down on her shoulder and her grandfather told her not to. She complained._

 _"I wasn't doing anything"_

 _But he shook his head knowing she wanted to be back out there. But he couldn't risk it. Not now._

 _"I don't want you having another seisure. Either sit and watch or go inside and get some rest. You need it" She gritted her teeth when he said that. It was constant._

 _Everyone would be up later than her. She would be going to bed around 5pm before the sun even set and her grandfather would be there tucking her in making sure she fell asleep before he left her side and joined everyone else. Their laughter used to wake her up usually around 7 but then they would quieten down again thanks to her grandfather hushing them. She usually tried to sleep through it but she felt like she was on time-out for something she had done wrong._

 _Instead she just wasn't well but she felt fine. Maybe a little more tired but she felt okay. Nothing to worry about. Nothing to make her sleep for over 15 hours a day. She'd wake up to her grandfather always close by, she would assist him at every turn not straying to far from him just in case she had another 'episode'. Which she hadn't but he always kept her close just in case. Close but never really talking to her, just instructing her on what to do and sometimes comforting her._

 _That was the annoying part. He needed to talk to her, but he avoided the confrontation when she constantly asked._

 _She didn't think it would be this bad. I mean she hit the back of her head. She was expecting a concussion at the most but this was way off from what she thought._

 _She was practically losing her life._

"Gwen? Are you okay?"

She had figured out why he had avoided telling her though. It only took a few seconds after he had sat her down and placed a comforting hand on hers. He was petrified of telling her and she. She was pretty deep in the idea that she was in shock and not knowing what to do with herself until she felt her stomach turn.

'Nope' She thought to herself, shaking her head and tensing her body.

"Gwenny?" He called to her as she stood up shaking her head.

"I'm going to be sick" She rushed to the bathroom slamming the door shut.

Max sighed running his hands through his hair not knowing what to do with a blossoming Antodyte.


	2. Chapter 2

Was kinda hoping for some more reviews but thankyou to trepidon for reviewing this chapter and to those who have favourited or followed this story. This chapters a bit wishy washy but the next chapters going to be great. You get to find out what happened during the match between Helen, Cooper and Gwen.

Please and enjoy and don't forget to review.

* * *

He had held her hair back at first, rubbing her back and tying her hair back in a ponytail. He listened to her whimpers. Her crying. Her sobbing. He shushed her gently running a hand down her back before grabbing a towel, asking her to get in the shower when she was ready. She took her time. Taking a full hour to finish up, run a shower and get changed before coming out to her grandfather, looking exhausted and like she had given up on life. In that moment, he regretted telling her about what was going on. Maybe, it would of been better if he had let her body just destroy itself before getting Verdona to destroy her body when she slept. It sounded like a good idea at first but then she deserved to know the truth and not suffer with the anxiety of never knowing what was wrong with you in the first place.

"You're looking better already, kiddo" He had hugged her tightly, held her close as she collapsed into his arms.

"You only tell me that when I look like hell" She muttered closing her eyes as he helped her down onto the lower bunk bed. He sighed not knowing what to say to her at that point as she turned away from him, facing the wall as she held herself. Instead, he tucked her up under a few blankets and grabbed one of a nearby book off the shelf before reading her a story. She listened to every word he read to her, his soft, caring voice trying to soothe her pain. It made her feel worse that he was treading so lightly around her. When he had finished reading, he closed the book and leaned over her telling her that he loved her and that everything would be okay. She sniffed, tears dripping down her face as she finally turned to him. He brushed her tears away as they dripped down her flustered cheeks. She was terrified and he knew it.

"Everything's going to be alright, Pumpkin" He mumbled as he watched her turn away from him, thumbing her cheek. He pulled the covers up just below her neck and kissed her forehead.

"We'll sort all this out tomorrow kiddo. Try and get some rest, okay?"

* * *

She stayed in bed most of the day, feeling sick to her stomach. Helen and Cooper had come in every now and again to apologize. She had constantly told them that she was okay but they never believed her. She had gotten a lot of chocolate out of it though. If she had some movies she could feel a lot better. Or maybe less sorry for her and her position in life right now.

"...We can watch movies all day, how bout Sumo Slammers?" Ben smiled down at her.

"Huh...Oh yeah, that sounds great, Ben" She sat up from her bed and avoided eye contact with her cousin. He could see the bags under her eyes. Something was clearly bothering her. She hadn't spoken too many people since Max had spoken to her. In fact, she kinda isolated herself from everyone, everyone except her grandfather. Their grandfather.

She looked away, curling her legs up to her stomach. He leaned over her looking into her depressed eyes.

"Is everything okay, Gwen?" He asked concerned for her wellbeing. She looked up at him terrified on what to tell him. She had had anxiety about the while situation on what to do, where she was going to go. She knew her grandfather would take care of her until her grandma came to take her away. It didn't really matter if she ended up with her grandma anyway. She would lose her memory, her family, everything and she had nothing to say. Nothing to fight.

"I'm fine Ben. Really" She held her legs trying to force a smile. He shook his head, not believing her.

"You know you can tell me anything, Gwen" He placed a hand on her knee trying to grab her attention. She tried to brighten her smile in order to make him believe her. No, she hadn't told him about her...her leaving despite the fact that she had been staying around grandpa Max's Rustbucket for current time. She wanted to stay with her family but avoiding everyone seemed to be her own coping mechanism at the moment. Confronting her parents about this...she was sure to have a breakdown. Her grandpa had stated for her to avoid any stress until she...

Oh god, she couldn't go through with this. She needed to save at least some memories. Maybe a recorder? She could ask Ben to do it. Just video her talking.

"I'm fine Ben, really. I do need something from you though"

"Sure Gwen, anything you want" His eyes lit up excited she finally wanted to spend time with him.

"Great, do you still have that old cam-corder?"

He arched his eyebrow.

"Cam-corder, Gwen I can just record it on my phone?" He showed her his iphone. She rolled her eyes, still owning a pink nokia her parents had bought her 3 years ago because she wasn't allowed an expensive one. Her parents had made a full on 20 minute lecture of her about it when she asked for a new one last year because her friends had all new versions. She immediately regretted the decision of bothering to ask after all she got back was 'don't be a sheep'.

"It's kind of private" She muttered causing his expression to fade. She didn't trust him. That's what it came out as at least. He frowned nodding in an attempt not to upset her.

"I'm sorry Ben, but it is private business"

"Yeah, no problem. Then will you tell me what's going on?" He asked politely.

She gently smirked at him.

He knew that was her answer.

"I'll see you when I get back" He kissed her forehead before turning around only to see his grandpa coming through the aluminum door.

"Wait Ben, one last thing" Gwen reached out trying to grab him. He smiled turning round as her grandpa noticed the two teenagers.

"Hey Ben; hey Pumpkin" Max smiled coming into the room with a bag of groceries. He was pretty happy with his granddaughter staying round his RV in the meantime. He had been doing some research on Antodytes trying to keep up with her change and to be honest he was pretty excited despite the fact she was losing her memories. He had spent over 20 years with Verdona before she moved on and hadn't met another Antodyte since. He was glad that she was having the change early enough to make some new memories with him. He knew she was going to loose her humanity eventually. He just wished it wasn't too late. I mean he wasn't getting any younger.

"I bought you some food from the market, kiddo" He placed it down on the counter as she watched him from the lower bunk bed. Sweater off on the opposite side of the bed with a blanket covering her lower half.

"From the markets or from the alien market?"

Max chuckled smiling down at her.

"Sorry kiddo, alien"

"Ew," She turned away disgusted. Ben laughed towards her.

"Enjoy cuz," He smirked.

She shook her head sighing angrily before she turned to her cousin.

"There's a small crystal in my room, in my draw. Can you grab that and my spellbook" She whispered towards him hoping her grandpa wouldn't hear their conversation.

"Sure, cuz but-" He was stopped when her hand came down on his mouth covering it. She brought her index finger up to her lips signalling him not to talk about their conversation in front of grandpa. He sighed understanding and not liking the idea. Whenever that spellbook came out their was always trouble and he didn't need it right now; no, not when she was sick.

"Just bring it back here when 'you know who' isn't around" She nudged her head towards her grandpa. He removed her hand from his face and nodded before standing up and walking out the door.

"Enjoy dinner, cuz"

She rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on, Gwenny" He smiled towards her.

"It'll be like old times"

She crossed her arms.

"Oh come on Gwen, don't pout" He smirked at her as he began cutting up an assortment of alien fruits and vegetables. Gwen breathed out ready to experience her tastebuds being burned off the instance it touched her lips. She slowly stood up grabbing the walls as support as she walked over to her grandpa. He smirked as she picked up one of the knives and helped chopped up some of the vegetables.

"It's nice to see you up. I know it's been hard...with...um...your folks but everythings going to be okay" He smiled at her as she avoided eye contact with him.

"...I'm going to lose all my memories" She muttered cutting the red pear that surprisingly tasted like banana. He grabbed her hugging her closely, rubbing her back and soothing her pain.

"You'll be okay, alright. Just try and relax as much as possible until your grandma comes"

She nodded gently before she let go of him and returned back to helping him cook. He just watched her noticing how upset she was. She was losing everything but she wouldn't remember. She was just lucky it was happening at a young age.

"Kevin and Cooper are sparring today. You can go watch if you like, just don't stray too far from the RV"

She nodded, grabbing some of the potatoes out of the bag and washing them.

"...Is grandma going to take me to Antodyne?" She asked avoiding eye contact. Her grandfather didn't really know what to say to her at that point he couldn't say yes. He knew she would try something if he did.

"Only if you want to Pumpkin. She won't force you"

"She did last time"

"She knows better now. She was only trying to do what she thought was best for you"

"She tried to destroy my body"

Max fell silent after what the girl had said. He breathed out closing his eyes before he turned to her and stared at her. He noticed his granddaughter not even bothering to help cook anymore instead leaning over the sink trying to stop herself from crying.

"...She's going to do it for real this time; isn't she? She going to kill me to free the Antodyte inside me"

He sighed, placing a gentle hand on her back as she shuddered. He noticed the drops falling into the sink.

"Your bodies already...coming apart due to your Antodyte being slightly more dominant now that you've been using your powers a lot more. It was only a matter of time before your body started wearing out, which it has" He told her as he rubbed circles on her back. He could hear her whimpering, knowing that she just wanted to run away and hide from the rest of the world. Pretend it wasn't happening.

"Gwen," He took her chin making him look at her. She winced her eyes trying to look away as she cried.

"Hey look at me," He mumbled to her as he brushed her cheek trying to support her as much as possible.

"This isn't a bad thing. You're going to be a power house and get to finally see Antodyne"

"But I'll lose everything all my memories" She winced her eyes. He smiled bringing her in close and holding her tightly.

"You won't lose us Gwen. We're your family. We'll be with you every step of the way" He mumbled listening to her as she broke down in his arms. He held her there for a couple of minutes, gently rubbing her back and shushing her before he heard a knock on the door. He gently released her down on the nearby chair before he looked over to the door.

"Come in" He yelled as he passed his granddaughter a few tissues before the door opened. She quietly took them wiping her eyes as she felt the heavy footsteps come in through the door.

"Hey Max, you coming out to watch the match?" It was Cooper. Cooper wearing Plumber's gear. She gulped wiping her face before she looked at him noticing his unsteered worried gaze focussed on her. She knew he felt guilty and to be honest she slightly blamed for it. Not that she would admit it but she was burning up with anger on the inside but said nothing. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she looked towards her grandfather telling the blonde haired boy that he would be out in a minute.

"Okay, did...er...you want to come watch, Gwen. It'll be fun" He blushed as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Ah, yeah. Sure" She straightened herself before standing up trying to look like she hadn't been crying but it was hard to keep a straight face.

"We'll be out in a minute Cooper. Just make sure everythings set up, okay"

He nodded before moving off taking one last look at the depressed redhead before he closed the door.

"...I know it's your choice but I don't want you telling Ben and Kevin about your situation" He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. She looked down thinking about what he said before she looked into his eyes.

"...I don't think I can do it. Not yet anyway; it would break them" She mumbled figgetting with her hands before he gave her a quick hug and told her that she was a good girl. She relaxed in his arms before he released her and touched her face.

"Keep score for the sparring" He kissed her forehead before he moved off.

* * *

She had been sitting on the bench for over an hour and she was already feeling exhausted. She laid her back against the wood as she rubbed her eyes watching the two boys spar. Every now and then she noticed their eyes watching her for approval; to make sure she was watching them beat each other up but she no longer cared. She had too much to think about at this moment. She flipped the score board, pretending to still be paying attention but really, she was falling asleep. She felt her breathing get heavier as her eyes sunk and her head fell back. She groaned before she placed a hand on her head and 'bang'.

"Ow-" She muttered, holding her head as she opened her eyes to find herself on the grass. She just laid there thinking about what her grandpa said. About her body dying. She had trained so hard. Eaten so well and she was suffering for it. Why did it have to happen to her. She closed her eyes thinking back to just last week when she was happy, playing around with her cousin and boyfriend as they took on the world together and now. Now stuck on the ground, exhausted to shreds and not able to force herself to stand up. She winced her eyes as she felt herself being pulled up by the back of her collar. She groaned opening her eyes as she felt herself pulled into someone's arms. She groaned as she relaxed her head resting on someone's lap as the rest of her body laid back on the wood of the table.

"Gwen?" He asked gently calling to her as she felt pain surge through her body attacking her heart. She winced before she opened her eyes to see the angel above her. Her cousin. He was holding her tightly in his arms afraid to let go as he shook scared that she had had another seisure. He smiled when he saw her eyes open and stare up at him.

"You okay?" Ben asked, brushing her cheek gently.

"Yeah," She mumbled, as she closed her eyes touching his hand as he held her.

"Just felt tired" She mumbled as she clutched her chest feeling the pain well up again. She groaned as Ben held her close, a worried look plastered on his face.

"I brought you that cam-corder you wanted and that...um...other stuff" He mumbled to her hoping it would make her feel better but she scowled at the thought. It made him feel worse for her. He just wanted to help her in any way possible.

"Maybe I should go get grandpa?" He asked her but she shook her head knowing there was nothing her grandpa could do for her but to tell her to get some rest. She winced as the pain began to get more intense inside her chest. She felt like her ribs were about to burst from the pressure building up. She whimpered as she clutched her heart harder hoping to draw some of the attention away until she felt a hand come down over her hand, massaging her skin as much as possible to try and soothe her pain. To her surprise, it helped. A lot. She stared up at him as he shushed her, gently rubbing her hand in an effort to soothe her pain.

"...Thanks" She mumbled before her eyes closed and she blacked out.

* * *

Ben stared down at her worriedly. He had never seen his cousin like this before. So weak and defenseless. To be honest, he didn't think the injury she suffered earlier was that bad before she began spacing out and having seisure's a couple times a day. He always thought the biggest problem was that she couldn't really remember having the seisures. Instead, spacing out whenever they occurred. She had spent a couple days in hospital, but he didn't really know why. His grandpa told him that she needed the rest but she could always rest at home or in the RV with them.

Grandpa Max had never revealed anything to him about how Gwen was other then the fact that she needed rest like 24/7. It was sad, he felt like he was missing out on quality time with her and for some reason; he craved it lately. Just wanting to spend time with her. He knew something was wrong. Something wasn't right with her. He hugged her tightly as she laid still breathing in and out slowly as she winced from time to time. He didn't know what to do with her other than call for his grandpa to help him out. They took her inside to lay down on the couch before wrapping her up. Ben didn't say anything to her other. He laid down beside her and hugged her close to him not letting her go. Max smiled at the two making sure the two got a bit more time to bond before everything went to hell.

"Keep an eye on her, Ben" He mumbled before walking out the door.

* * *

He had been with her for almost 20 minutes watching her wince her eyes, roll her head occasionally as she slept. It looked restless and to Ben's eyes; painful. He always wanted her to be in a kind of pained state. Like a wounded animal that he wanted to patch up and fix, hoping they would love him back. It was something he had always craved for; especially from his cousin. He always wanted to be her hero. Save her universe and get the girl, only it always ended up being the wrong girl. Either that or he would end up alone, nothing but Kevin by his side still continuing to hit on his cousin in an awkward manner. He still couldn't tell to be honest. They had had awkward moments where they had kissed but Kevin never asked her to be his 'girl', so technically she was still available. Ben shrugged at the thought before he noticed his cousin groaning indicating that she was waking up. He smiled down at her as he gently squeezed her shoulder.

"Nuh!" She groaned, wincing her eyes and holding her head in pain.

"Hey, sleepy-head" He mumbled to her as he sipped on his smoothie.

"How long was I out?" She asked pushing herself back and leaning against the wall before looking up at him.

Ben shrugged attending back to his smoothie.

"Like 10 maybe 20 minutes. I kinda lost track. How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a bus" She groaned noticing his smoothie.

"I saw you collapse on the ground when I came over to you. Maybe you hit your head on the fall?"

"I hope not. I Don't need two concussions. Imagine what grandpa would do to me" She muttered grabbing his smoothie and sipping on it.

"Hey!"

"I'm desperate" She glared at him as she tasted a mix of strawberries, orange, watermelon and...oh god...was that spinach. Strawberries with spinach?

She groaned passing it back to him in disgust.

"Why?"

"I didn't like it at first but then the flavours all mixed together; it tastes amazing"

"You and grandpa are out to destroy my taste buds" She stated before swinging her feet around attempting to stand up before her cousin grabbed her shoulders.

"Woah, you can't be serious; you just collapsed"

"Did not"

"Gwen, you fainted. We still don't know what's wrong with you. You shouldn't be standing up so soon"

"Ben, I can make my own decisions" She bit back a hint of annoyance on her tongue. He sighed allowing her to stand. She quietly stood up brushing her clothes off before she took a step, her knees buckling. He grabbed her instantly, stopping her from falling and helping her stabilise herself.

"You okay?"

"...I'm...fine" She mumbled, exhausted to shreds. She closed her eyes trying to take another step as her cousin held on to her, trying to support her as much as possible.

"You don't look it"

"I said I'm-"

"What if I sit with you?"

"Huh?"

He helped her sit back down before sitting opposite her.

"I'll sit with you. We can watch a movie or something, at least until you're feeling better"

She sighed thinking about it. She didn't want him to suffer for the sake of her. No, she had thought about running away just so her family wouldn't have to watch her slowly disappear. She felt bad for them. Having to watch her faint and vomit blood and have seisures. They were worried sick.

"Yeah, okay"

He smiled happily before grabbing her computer and bringing it over to them as she got comfortable, removing her shoes, fluffing the pillow against the wall. He came and sat down with her wrapping an arm around her and holding her close. He thought it was an awkward move. Maybe he should have added the yawn to it to make it even worse but she seemed to relax pretty quickly. Heck, she even laid on his chest listening to the sounds of his heart as he played the video. He relaxed, watching over her as he held her close.

The redhead remained there, listening to the rhythm of his heart more than the movie. She was sure Antodytes didn't have one. It made a lot of sense to the fact that they probably didn't have any organs, so it meant a lot to her that she couldn't listen to Ben's. To someone's she loved. It felt right. She ran her hand over his stomach, hugging him tightly in her arms, afraid to let go. Ben noticed her scared demeanor. Maybe it wasn't the most of obvious thing for him but he knew enough about his favourite cousin to know for sure she was terrified. He wrapped his arm tightly around her, allowing her to feel a level of security with him. He wanted her to feel safe, enough to ignore the pain that lurched on her.

"Thanks" She mumbled, quietly as she watched the movie. His ears perked at her words, surprised that she would be thankful towards him.

"For what?" He replied.

She took a minute, deciding what to say to him before her lips pursed and she bit her bottom lip.

"For trying to make me feel better and cheer me up. Both for now and when I was in hospital; it means a lot to me. _More than words can say_ " She muttered the last part as she held onto him tighter. He couldn't help but feel worried for her after that.

Instead of replying, instead of telling her everything was going to be okay he held her tighter in his arms, clinging to her like she was his one and only lifeline. He noticed something sticking into his back and leaned slightly so he could grab it. He noticed a teddy bear. His to be precised. He had caught her sleeping with it over the past few nights. Face wet with tears as she slept looking like she was in a nightmare. He had given it to her in hospital as a present when she had woken up from her shock-induced coma. He smiled before passing it to her and wrapping it under her arm.

 _"...Thanks for telling me that"_


	3. Chapter 3

_She was on fire today. Not literally but she felt it. She was winning at every turn; it was so easy to the point she didn't have to put that much thought into it. Magic book in one hand and the other alighting with pure Antodyte manna. Her eyes burned with excitement as she threw a disc towards Helen knocking her down without a thought. She smirked, returning back to her spellbook. It was true, she hadn't memorised all the spells yet but she was getting there. After six years of reading the same lines over and over again she was beginning to remember a few of them, but it made no difference right now. She was on fire to the point where her finger-tips felt like they were about to burn off. Sweat dripped down her forehead as she closed the book, throwing it up in the air as she launched another barage of attacks towards the two. She smiled, a wicked smile. It was unusual for her to feel happy when hurting her friends but today...there was just something about to day that made her feel good._

 _ **"You might as well just give up"** She laughed. It made Helen and Cooper hesitate for a second as they laid on the ground. It didn't sound like her usual voice. Not, not the soft sweet, Tennyson they had always known. It sounded demonic, almost multi-dimensional. Not that Ben or Kevin were really paying attention at that point as they argued and bickered but her grandfather did notice._

 _"SHUT IT DOWN!"_

 _She heard someone yell but it didn't phase her. No, not like it did to Cooper and Helen. They were officially trembling. The redhead had lost it. Well she was, she was losing control. They had to do something. Helen stood up, grabbing Cooper quickly as they hid behind a large boulder._

 _"Helen, do you think you can make a cyclone, big enough to trap her in?" Cooper asked as he removed his modified Plumbers weapon from his belt and removed the energy core making the weapon unstable and prone to exploding._

 _"What are you doing?"_

 _"Gwen has a tough time with anything that's not living. If I do this correctly it should short-circuit her"_

 _"You mean fry her"_

 _He ducked as rocks collapsed on top of them indicating that she had just thrown another disc._

 _"I know Gwen, she'll throw up a shield and it'll just knock the wind out of her or knock her out at most" Cooper yelled as another disc was forced their way._

 _"We have to try" He added identifying the concerned look on Helen's face. She nodded._

 _"Okay" She removed herself from the rock and proceded to distract the power-house redhead. It worked, she was distracted, aiming large balls of energy towards the alien as she skated around the redhead, trapping her in a small area. However, it wasn't like last time. The second she had attempted to even form a circle around her, the Antodyte caught on quickly. Helen made the third lap a pink shield came up smacking Helen dead in the face. She winced holding her face as she attempted to continue moving again but not before she felt a large force smash into the side of her. She went flying landing at least 15 metres away from the Antodyte._

 _"Hold on Helen" Cooper called grabbing at his utility belt and throwing a bomb towards the Antodyte. She threw up a shield protecting herself from the onslaught as Cooper ran towards his teammate helping her up._

 _"You have to try again it's the only way" He handed her one of his grenades to throw at the Antodyte if she tried to throw-up a wall again. Helen stood up, knees buckling as she grabbed the grenade._

 _"Okay, one more time" She muttered, cheering herself on as she began racing towards the redhead covered in smoke. She dropped her shield throwing balls of manna towards the fast alien but she was knocked back instantly as Cooper shot at her with a lazer pistol. She threw up a shield giving Helen enough time to start spinning around the Antodyte again. Again, the redhead dropped her shield alighting her hands with pure energy as she attempted to throw up another wall but Helen didn't let her, throwing the flash grenade at the girl and covering her eyes, it went off leaving the Antodyte star struck and rubbing her eyes intensely._

 _The cyclone was created. Helen stopped running as the Antodyte re-alit her hands and eyes in pure anger now. She was pissed. Her hands began to burn now. She could feel her blood beating through her veins as she was lifted up into the air. She was going to explode she could feel it. She needed to release the energy. She was dying to. Cooper watched as Helen quickly raced away before he grabbed the fuse, attached it to the energy core and threw it. It was suppose to send out a wave of electricity that's all. Nothing too bad for an alien. Especially not for Gwen. He knew she could withstand anything. Lightning danced around the cyclone, infused with manna. It was beautiful. A truely magnifying experience. That was until it all ended._

 _Gwen felt the first wave of electricity hit her like a lightning strike. She screamed in agony as it pierced her stomach, knocking the thought of pulsing her energy and destroying the cyclone. The electricity pierced her a second time, zapping her painfully in the lower back. She felt something explode inside of her. Her energy that she had been saving up in a fit of anger was now seeping it's way through her human body trying to rip it to shreds in an effort to release her Antodyte for a 'fight or flight' effort._

 _She wouldn't let it. Mentally stopping herself from releasing her Antodyte being in an effort to save her humanity. She chocked on her own blood as it spewed out the corners of her mouth. She couldn't breathe. Her joints locked up as she mentally fought the battle between her Antodyte self and her human self. She didn't realize she was falling. No, not until she heard a loud-_

 _CRACK!_

 _She felt pain shoot through the back of her skull before she blacked out._

 _The cyclone stopped. The lightning seized. All that was left was the redhead lying still on the ground. Max sprinted for it. Heart racing as he sceared next to her body and noticed her cut-up shirt, stricken with burn marks covering her._

 _"Gwen!" He called to her grabbing her shoulders and squeezing them._

 _"GWEN!" He called louder squeezing her more painfully._

 _"Come on Kiddo," He touched her face, rubbing her cheek. Her eyes sprang open in an instant. White manna staring into his soul. He gulped watching as her eyes faded back to green and she started convulsing, blood spewing out of the corner of her lips as she hunched forward looking like she was about to vomit. Her muscles tensed as her joints locked up. He sighed as he rubbed his forehead watching as she shook like their were volts of electricity running through her. He grabbed her head forcing her down as slowly as possible before placing her neck in between his legs. He had seen her fall eariler. He had seen her smash the back of her head in. Now he didn't even know if she had snapped her neck. He placed her head gently in between his legs acting a make-shift splint._

 _Everyone came running over. Ben turning into Goop about to hold her down so she didn't hurt herself._

 _"Don't" Max called out as Goop tried to grab her limps._

 _"Just let her get it out of her system"_

 _He nodded returning to his normal human self as he bent down next to his cousin noticing the blood sliding out of her mouth and nose as she screamed for help. She was like this for a couple minutes just constantly shaking as her muscles spasmed. It looked horrible. She had finally collapsed sometime after his grandpa had called for an ambulance. She was wrapped up in her cousin's jacket to keep her warm as an ambulance came._

 _"What...what happened?" She raised her hands up trying to remove herself from her grandfather but he wouldn't budge._

 _"It's okay, Gwen. Just try and relax, okay Pumpkin"_

 _She groaned in agony as she coughed weakly trying to remove the sticky cooper taste in her throat. Her cousin had come and sat beside her, holding her hand and trying to get her to relax until help came. She laid there in agony for what felt like hours until they rolled her away on a stretcher, breathing mask on, neck stabiliser wrapped around her and restraints holding her down as she attempted to remove the needles sticking into her veins._

 _The hospital had turned up some bad results. Nothing that Max wanted to hear at least. His granddaughter had been passed out for the past couple of days and had only re-awoken a couple of hours ago to find herself covered in a few bandages wrapped around her stomach, back and head. Max had to attend a meeting with her doctor in her place._

 _"...Her organs are damaged to the point we could say they're failing. All of them. I know this is hard but we would prefer it if Miss. Tennyson stays here so she can be treated"_

 _Max hunched forward in his seat thinking about what the doctor had said. Her organs were failing. Her body was dying. That meant only one thing to him. He sighed, running a hand through his hair before he replied to the doctor._

 _"I'll speak to Gwen about it but I think she would rather be with her family for the remainder of..." He cut himself off. The doctor noticed and sincerely apologised wishing their was something he could do._

 _Max made his way down the hall, hearing laughter errupt from the girl's room. He arched his eyebrow thinking she'd be laying there on death's door, coughing her lungs out and screaming bloody murder but instead he found her lying in bed giggling and smiling as her cousin cheered her up by playing with her lunch-time food._

 _"Hey grandpa" Ben smiled towards him as stuck two straws into his nose and pretended to be a walrus for her. She snickered bursting out in a laughing fit. Max smiled, chuckling lightly as he sat down next to his granddaughter and held her hand. He noticed a teddy-bear beside her, her arm wrapped around it like she had no intention of letting go. He had seen that bear so many times. Mr. Furry Freddy- Ben's favourite teddy-bear. He couldn't help but smile at the fact that she was hugging it so closely to herself. He remembered when had first brought the teddy bear along on their summer vacation together and begged his cousin not to tell anyone that he slept with a teddy-bear still at age 10._

 _"So what did the doctor say?" She asked smiling towards him as she held the bear tighter._

 _He gulped not thinking that she would take the news very well at all. Maybe even having a mental break-down at the thought or exploding and destroying the whole hospital. She was as stubborn as Verdona when it came to serious matters. Both had a way of reacting negatively._

 _He forced a smile her way before he rubbed her hand._

 _"He said that you're fine Gwen. He said they couldn't find out what was wrong with you. Told me that you're in perfect health other than a few scraps and bruises" He nudged her cheek._

 _She smiled, believing him and so did Ben._

 _"That's a relief" She stated before turning to her cousin._

 _"So, Gwen can go home now, right?"_

 _"Yeah, but the doctor said to take it easy. No more hero stuff for a while, okay?" He frowned towards her knowing that she would argue. He watched as her brows furrowed before Ben placed a hand on hers, relaxing her. They made eye-contact and she eased up just staring into his eyes._

 _"...Okay, Grandpa" She hugged him. He held back his tears as he hugged her tightly in his arms._

* * *

She had expected her grandma to be round as soon as the news went out that she was changing. She expected her to take a few days to come around...a week maybe but not today. It was too soon and yet there she sat staring at the Antodyte gleaming above her.

"Oh, Kiddo; I'm so proud of you" She pinched the girl's cheek as she sat on the lower bunk bed leaning over with dark rings under her eyes.

"I'm glad you finally came around. Earth can be sooo boring" She complained grovelling on about the years she had to spent on this planet to raise her children until they were of decent age- 18. Gwen frowned as she watched the Antodyte float around the room laughing and giggling as she sat there miserable. It took a while for her grandmother to notice her upset form. She came over and sat down beside the girl and hugged her closely.

"You're going to love Antodyne" She smirked nudging the girl. She tried to smirk but it faded quick. Verdona frowned instantly as she watched the girl look away from her.

"My dear, what's wrong?" She asked concerned.

"...I always thought I'd get the choice to decide whether I wanted to turn into an Antodyte or...you know, just be me but it feels like the decision was taken away from me" She sighed hunching over.

"Out of everything that could've taken my humanity away; why did it have to be some routine training exercise" She looked away from the alien before her.

Verdona was hesitant to answer the question before she relaxed her shoulders and smiled.

"You made your decision the second you activated your powers. Nothing lasts forever Kiddo. Your grandfather told me what happened. You should've lost your humanity the second you got struck by lightning but you held it back and now your bodies just destroying itself slowly"

"Oh god" The redhead ran her fingers through her hair trying to control her breathing.

"...Grandma, none of this is comforting"

"Oh Pumpkin" He pulled her into an awkward hug holding her close as she ran her fingers through her granddaughter silky red hair.

"Everythings the way it's suppose to be" She seemed so sure of herself and her grandchild's future.

"Now..." She pulled her away.

"How about a smoothie? I have been dying for one since I've been back on Earth" She chuckled floating up and making her way to the door.

"Come on, Kiddo" She chuckled forcing the girl to stand by manipulating her manna and pulling her over. The redhead just relaxed into it thinking at this point in time it was better just to agree with her grandmother instead of fighting the slightly insane antodyte who wanted to tear her body limb from limb.


	4. Chapter 4

She watched as her grandmother gulped down about three medium size smoothies. She was surprised after her cousin had brought them and her grandpa to his favourite place in the whole world. Gwen just sighed as continued to watch as her grandparents conversed, talking about the good old times and holding hands. Ben was laying back against his chair sipping his smoothie. Gwen sighed, it was days like these she was feeling happy. For one fact that the sudden impending doom was off her shoulders, at least for the moment. They spoke about other stuff like "how's school going? or how's Plumber business?".

It was nice and peaceful before her grandma decided to nudge her estranged husband. He sighed before he turned to the girl. The seriousness of the event sinking in. He picked up her cup feeling the contents of it still a third full. She hadn't been gorging herself on it much for the last hour, despite the fact that she was a little dehydrated.

He quietly opened the lid and grabbed a vile of what looked like blackened ginger out of his pocket before he dumped the essence into her smoothie. Gwen arched her eyebrow both surprised and concerned. She hadn't expected it.

"What is that?" She asked curiously as she leaned over trying to get a look at the grains of black as her grandfather mixed it into the smoothie.

"It's a healthy substance- like a superfood" Max explained before he pressed the lid of the smoothie down and passed her her cup back. She arched her eyebrow before she looked over to her grandparents for reassurance. Her grandma smiled happily towards her while her grandfather just looked upset.

"Cool. Can I have some grandpa?" Ben asked.

"Sorry Ben, it's toxic to humans" Verdona chuckled. That's when it hit Gwen. It was poison- something to destroy her body faster and speed up the whole process. She bet it tasted vile. Like acid or...

She was taken back by her grandfather's hand placed on hers.

"Please drink it Gwen. It's good for you" He forced a smile her way. She sighed before grabbing the cup and taking a sip from the straw. She coughed, spluttering. It tasted vile, even despite the strawberry after-taste of the smoothie. She wiped her mouth as she felt her grandfather's hand placed on her back for comfort.

"Doesn't taste too good?" He asked concerned. She shook her head, eyes watering from the vile flavour. It tasted like it was burning a whole through her throat and stomach.

Max sighed before he noticed her grandson's concerned eyes staring towards his cousin.

"That's suppose to help her right?" He asked.

"...Why don't you get your cousin another smoothie Ben, maybe a watermelon?" Max suggested rubbing his granddaughters back. Ben stood up after his grandpa had given him some change for the drink. He walked away watching as his grandparents leaned closer to the girl.

"Gwen, I need you to drink all of it, okay?" He asked placing the cup back in her hands.

She shook her head feeling sick to her stomach.

"I c-can't" She weazed about to vomit. Max moved in closer to her, holding her round the waist and removing the lid and straw.

"Just try and scoff the whole drink down" He mumbled. She winced her eyes more tears spreading down her cheeks as she pulled the cup up and drank as much as she could before the burning sensation kicked in. She coughed trying to get the vile taste out of her mouth. Her grandpa patted her back as her grandmother grabbed the cup noticing it was still just under a third full.

"There's an easier way to do this" Verdona hinted looking at the girl who was currently wiping her mouth and wincing her eyes.

"Yeah?" Max looked over to his wife happily. She flicked her wrist, liquid spraying from the cup into the sick girl's mouth and down her throat. She fell off her seat holding her throat in agony as her body began to shake. She curled up into a ball and held herself in an act of comfort.

"GWEN!" She heard her name being called as she scrunched her face, tears streaming down her pale face. She opened her eyes to see her cousin bent down beside her wrapping her up into a tight hug and rocking her back and forward trying to warm her up from her shaking fit. She tried to stop her muscles from the spasms but it began to hurt more when she put up a fight. Instead, she waited watching as he comforted her, her grandparents moving anything sharp or dangerous away from them so she could continue on her unintentional fit of agony- an obvious side-effect from the medication given to her.

"Gwen!" Ben eyes widened as he came back over to find his cousin on the concrete, foam escaping her lips as her eyes rolled back into her head and she convulsed like electricity zapped through her body.

His eyes softened as the cups dropped his hands and he felt numb. Numb to the bone.

He dropped down by her side and grabbed her shoulders, her face wincing in pain every time her muscles automatically contracted.

"Gwen?" Ben called to her touching her face noticing her begin to calm down when he comforted her. He watched as her breathing began to slow and her muscles finally began to relax. He smirked as he brought her up to his chest and hugged her so tightly in his arms.

"..Ben!" She mumbled as she winced her eyes and leaned into him. She groaned quietly to herself like she had just exhausted all her energy in a few minutes. He brushed the locks out of her face and wrapped them behind her ear as she mumbled into his chest. nothing but jibberish in her delusional state.

"Better take her back to the Rustbucket so she can rest" Max stated leaning down on his knees and placing a hand on her forehead to check her temperature.

"What about her folks. Shouldn't I take her home so she can see her parents; I'm mean, she's not well"

"Ben!" Max sighed as he stared into the boys broken eyes. He sighed, giving into the boy's soft gaze.

"Just...be back before 6pm; Gwen needs her medication by then, okay?"

Ben nodded, standing up and holding the girl in his arms as she clung onto his shirt.

* * *

The drive to hers was slow. He watched out of his peripherals as she winced her eyes in pain and leaned forward holding her stomach so tightly like she had been stabbed in the gut.

"I'll ask aunt Lily if she has any painkillers when we get back to yours" Ben mutters towards her as he turns the corner.

Saliva leaks from her chin as she nodded slowly looking extremely sickly and pale to the bone. He placed a hand on her thigh rubbing her leg trying to make her feel better but she still didn't look right. She usually tried to force a smile and tried to pretend everything was okay but she didn't this time around. This time around she was broken and she couldn't get back up. This time he would have to pull her up and help her get back on her feet.

"You...looked better this morning" He notioned to her trying to make light conversation.

She winced her eyes again tears streaking down her flustered cheeks as she gritted her teeth trying to hold back the agony that surrounded her.

"I felt better this morning" She mumbled back wiping her mouth as he pulled into her drive-way.

"Maybe you'll feel better after seeing your folks" He smiled at her.

She groaned leaning back against the seat.

"I don't think my parents are too excited to see me, Ben" She muttered back avoiding eye contact with her twin cousin.

He didn't think too much about her remark, blowing it off for a pessimistic view.

"You haven't seen them since you got sick they're probably worried sick about you"

"I spoke to them over the phone about it...well grandpa did anyway"

"What did they say?"

"Don't really know" She shrugged. "Grandpa just said they understood and thought it would be best if they gave me space"

His smile began to fade as he listened to her. Her voice sounded apathetic to the situation despite their being guilt caught in her tongue. He knew she was scared. He just didn't know how badly.

"Well I guess now you can finally sit down and talk to them. Hey, maybe your mum's made those chocolate chip cookies" He smiled brightly towards her. She turned to him, noticing the cheerful smile plastered on his face. She couldn't help but smile back just happy that he was happy to be honest.

"Maybe" She muttered looking back out the window. He smirked back at her before placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. It took her by surprise before she turned to her cousin staring deep into his eyes.

"You know everythings going to be okay, right? I mean we've faced worse things than this; remember when we faced off against the Dagon and we almost lost you to-"

She closed her eyes holding her head and clenching her hands into fists at the thought of him controlling her.

"-Yeah, yeah I remember; please don't bring it up again"

He was taken back by her sudden vulnerable demeanor.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise-...I didn't think"

She frowned holding herself as she turned away.

"It doesn't matter how many times I tell myself that he's dead; that he's never coming back- I still feel like he's wriggling around in my head trying to take me under again. As much as I hate to admit it; it's left it's mark" She muttered feeling ashamed of herself.

"It's nothing to feel ashamed about, Gwen" His voice lowered trying to get her to open up.

"I know" She sighed lifting herself up.

"But I don't think I'll ever be able to move passed what happened"

"Least Vilgax got his butt kicked" He chuckled but she didn't laugh. He sighed knowing the trip back was going to be a long one.

* * *

Scene change: Tennyson's residence

She was hesitant first indecisive about seeing her folks and confronting them about her...condition. She lightly grazed her knuckles against the door tapping several times. She breathed out thinking about the worst case scenario in her head and for some reason that was braking down in front them. Her face began to fluster as she thought about it and the more she thought about it the closer she became to her worst case.

'Think of something happy; think of puppies and kittens!' Gwen tried to force a smile before the door swung open and there stood her mother, tired eyes and jacket still slung around her shoulders. She must've returned from work a few minutes before the girl got there.

"Gwenny?" Her eyes widened as she saw the girl hunched over at her door step. She noticed the red puffy and blackened shades under her eyes close to watering.

"Where have you been, young lady; your father and I were worried sick?"

Her eyes lit up in shock as her mother grabbed her and held her tight in her arms before continuing on her 'you're grounded' lecture.

"I'm sorry, I thought Grandpa Max rang you and told you what happened?" Gwen muttered walking into her household and inspecting the place, seeing if anything were different. She was relieved when it wasn't. The house still looked the same- still clean- still perfect- no dust or garbage lying around whatsoever.

"Not particularly" Lily rolled her eyes as she closed the door behind her daughter.

"Wait, Ben's outside" Gwen called back about to open the door if not for her mother standing in the way.

"I'm sure he can drive himself home. In the mean-time you're grounded"

"...For what?" Gwen arched her eyebrow as she sat down on the couch and held her stomach trying not to show how much pain she was in.

"Your father and I haven't heard from you in days. The only call we get was from Max saying that you weren't well and were turning into an Antodyte" She stared down at her daughter not noticing any glowing or deformity in her.

Despite the tired look on the girl's face she looked fine. Maybe a little pale and maybe looking like she had a bit of a stomach ache.

"So is it true what Max said- are you 'losing your humanity or-" She came and sat opposite her daughter noticing her distressed facial features. She didn't quiet know what to say to her own mother. How to describe what she was going through. Did she even know she would have to leave for Antodyne after it happens? Did she even know Verdona was here on Earth.

"...Yeah, I'm..." The tears started to seep through her eye lids as her cheeks flustered.

She sniffed- wiping away the tears that dripped down her cheeks.

"Grandpa said i've only got a few days left. They're trying to speed up the process as quickly as possible so i'm not in too much pain when it happens but it's so painful I've been having seisures and blacking out and having to stomach this Antodyte like food which I don't understand cause why would Antodytes even need food and-"

Her mother stopped her. She shushed her as she came and sat next to the girl before wrapping her in her arms and holding her tightly as she finally broke down after days of holding it all together She always thought of herself as strong and terrified of feeling vulnerable and now she was here. Being held by her mother as she cried. It took the girl a couple of minutes before she came to allowing her mother to get up and grab some tissues for the girl before she continued on.

"Who do you mean by them?" Her mother asked gently.

Gwen wiped her eyes with the tissue before she blew her nose.

"Grandma Verdona and grandpa. They've been making me drink this medication which is harmful to humans. They said it would speed up the process but I can't stomach it- it's vile and gives me seisures from time to time and I feel exhausted afterwards and...terrified" Tears continued to stream down her face as thought about the past few days.

Her mother was shocked. She couldn't believe what was happening to her only daughter.

"Gwenny, how did this happen?"

"I got electrocuted several times then I fell. Grandpa said I landed on the back of my head and had a seisure. He told me my body was dying a couple days after I got out of the hospital"

"Oh, Gwen!"

The young redhead rubbed her eyes tiredly from crying.

"Can I sleep here tonight? The Rustbuckets beds are starting to get a little uncomfortable" She mumbled.

Lily was surprised when the girl asked to stay over.

She nodded, brushing a lock behind the girl's ear as she looked away, eyes still puffy from her breakdown.

"I'll ring your father to pick up dinner on the way home. Right now you look like you could use a sleep" She smiled down at the girl.

She sat up wiping her nose before nodding.

"I'll grab you a blanket" She kissed her forehead before standing up and walking into the back room. She sighed, laying her head back on the couch and staring at the other side of the couch. She wondered where her cousin was- swearing he had walked in beside her. But then where was he?

She turned over, reaching for her pocket and removing her cell-phone. A brick, pink nokia her folks had brought her for her birthday last year. She wasn't too fond of it- mainly because they stated that it was a lesson in responsibility. She smiled and said thank you; saving up Plumber money to buy a new one. She began typing to Ben- hoping he would pick up as soon as possible.

'Staying round my folk's house tonight'

'...okay, won't grandma be mad?'

'I haven't seen my parents in 2 weeks. I'm sure they'll be fine with one night'

'Have you told grandpa at least'

'Not yet. I'll sent him a message later'

'Okay, just make sure you get some rest. Can you save some of your mom's cookies?'

She smiled at her phone before texting back.

'No problem. Thanks cous'

'I'll see ya later, Dweeb'

She placed her phone down on the table before she felt a blanket being placed down on her feet. She looked up at her mother smiling at her, still concerned about the girl.

"Thanks Mum" She grabbed the hem's of the blanket and pulled it over herself.

"Do you need anything else?" Her mother asked in a sincere voice.

The young redhead shook her head already feeling fatigued from day. She placed her head down on the couch before her eyes began to flutter closed.

"I'm good" She mumbled before she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Scene change: Rustbucket- 4 hours later

It was getting late and Max was beginning to worry about his two grandchildren. Verdona was only concerned about one of them; the Antodyte. The one she was going to teach all her knowledge to for 80 years. Max picked up his phone ringing the girl for the second time while Verdona meditated in her human form.

"Hey Gwen, if you get this can you call me back- I'm starting to get worried"

He placed the phone down before rubbing his face and looking over to Verdona.

"Can you track her?"

"She's at her house, asleep" Verdona answered not needing even a second to find the youth.

Max sighed, picking up his jacket and opening the refrigerator door, grabbing a bottle out.

"She was suppose to take her medication an hour ago. I'm going to drive up their" He muttered as Verdona shrugged.

"I don't think Frank or Lily will be too happy" The alien chimed towards her husband.

"I just want to give her her medication that's all. She can spend the night over Frank's place" Max stated opening the door.


End file.
